A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 313 The Actions of the Guishu Church

God's Chosen.

Quinn had seen or heard the word more than once.

Literally, they are "those chosen by God," who should be imbued with religious sanctity, yet every encounter with them is connected to the abyss—

"In the end, the Emperor slew Tzeentch's Chosen, who was just one step away from hatching into a beast, and the entire path of envy collapsed with him."

This is the system's description of the items in Heaven's Gate.

"A massive swarm of airships, blotting out the sky and laden with explosives, razed the city that might have given birth to a god of lust to the ground."

This is the account of the Imperial Revelations of 1200 in Grindelwald's Archives, specifically in the Abyss Chronicles.

"Open your mind and body and become the chosen one of lust."

This is what the "baby" in Mi Yutong's womb said to him in his dream when he advanced to the seventh rank of the Heroic Order [Ash].

The Chosen One possesses the power of Sequence 3 of the Original Sin, or conversely, the Sequence 3 of the Original Sin Destiny is the Chosen One.
All the information formed a coherent thread in Quinn's mind—

From Sequence 8, Sequence 9, and even Sequence 7 like Jack, these lower and middle sequences act in small groups, according to their destiny or in real-world regions, to perform certain rituals in the abyss.

And those who lead them are Sequence Six, like Mr. Q and Ms. B. They are mid-level cadres in the vast dream of the Abyss. Their numbers are not many. If they are strictly arranged according to the Earth alphabet, there are twenty-six people. If each letter has one man and one woman, the number will not exceed fifty-two.

Above that are the "priests" who reach the mid-to-high ranks. According to Sisa, these people are Mr. Q's or Ms. B's superiors, similar to senior executives, who plan the rituals in the Abyss layer and then hand them over to their subordinates to carry them out.

Each Abyss Sequence has no more than two or three priests. Currently, the only remaining Abyss Destinies are Lust, Gluttony, Pride, and Greed, which is at most a group of about ten people. How can they possibly withstand the siege of the seven major cults for thousands of years?
Above the priests, there are probably the "chosen ones".

In Merlin's time, 'Wrath' led the Khorne turmoil in the South Pacific; in Jiangnan's time, 'Sloth' led the Nagle turmoil in the West Continent; two hundred years ago, 'Envy' led the Tzeentch turmoil in the Empire, as well as a Lust turmoil that was not fully successful.
Historical records of several Abyss upheavals indicate that Abyss superhumans gathered and conducted rituals in reality, causing the Abyss's original sin to spread on a large scale among the population. The purpose of these rituals is unclear, but the term "chosen by God" will always appear in the records of these rituals.
The Chosen One was not the goal of the Abyss Turmoil. A Lustful Chosen One was born during the Lustful Turmoil, but the Turmoil ended in failure when the Chosen One was killed by Imperial fire. However, the fate of Lust did not disappear afterward. The other three Abyss Turmoils, named with special terms, inevitably saw the disappearance of an Abyss sequence after the Turmoil was suppressed.

The system's description of "Heaven's Gate" reveals some clues about the outcome of the turmoil—

"The Emperor slew Tzeentch's Chosen, who was just one step away from hatching into a beast."

Hatching? Beast?

Quinn frowned. The Chosen One was already Sequence Three. Could the turmoil be a promotion ceremony prepared for the Chosen One?

However, once the chosen one dies, the entire Abyss sequence will perish along with it. The fetus in the dream also said that the chosen one of lust will control the entire path of lust, and all lustful extraordinary beings will become your puppets.
The Chosen Ones Incubation Ritual doesn't actually take place in reality, yet the cult has treated them like demons for thousands of years. Connecting these dots in his mind, Quinn couldn't help but have a rather absurd thought—

Could it be that the so-called turmoil and rituals were meant to bring the god of original sin to earth?

"Regarding the Abyss's Chosen Ones, this is merely speculation within the church." Sissa walked slowly, stopping occasionally to photograph the weeds growing in the cracks of walls, the reflections of people in puddles, and the postmen weaving through the slums.
"For the Abyss Chosen to be born, a large-scale contamination with original sin is necessary, involving tens of thousands of people. From this perspective, Seville is indeed an excellent breeding ground for the spread of original sin: high population density, neglect, lack of supervision, and most importantly, a life of misery."

Quinn suddenly realized why there wasn't a single clergy member to be seen in the Church of Returning Trees.

"Are your people investigating in Sewell?"

Xisa neither confirmed nor denied it.

"It's just routine preaching. But so far, we haven't discovered widespread infection with original sin. I can't smell the abyss. Oh, and you have a bit of... lust on you?"

Quinn hesitated for a moment before taking out the Beloved Ring.

“Yes, this is it.” Sissa stopped and bent down to examine the exquisite diamond ring, sniffing the air as if he were appreciating perfume.

“Your katana also has the scent of the abyss, something I’ve never smelled before. It’s spicy, like a sauna.” He used a strange adjective. “I guess it’s rage.”

“The academy’s collection.” Quinn nodded. “Your nose is indeed very sensitive.”

“Hmm,” Xisa paused, “Your ring… has a… I can’t quite put my finger on it, is it very pure? I suggest you use it sparingly, once you’re contaminated by Abyss containment materials, it’s impossible to remove.”

Quinn put the ring back in his pocket and wrapped it in the cross necklace.

"of course."

“Alright, let’s get back to the main topic.” Sissa returned to the front and led the way, guiding Quinn through the intricate roads of Seville with practiced ease. “If there are indeed signs of the birth of a chosen one, we will notify the academy and all major religious sects, including the Vatican, through official channels as soon as possible.”

"Why do you want to investigate on your own?" Quinn asked, frowning. "The academy isn't stingy, and with your church's financial situation, getting some money shouldn't be a problem."

After walking around with his camera for a while, Sissa slowly said, "Whether it's us or other religions, unless you're a favorite of God, you need to have enough experience in handling supernatural events to be promoted from a city bishop to a regional head."

"And in Eswell—on the territory of this academy—there's a massive array that restricts superhumans. No other city in the world is so extravagant as to use such a huge arcane array to maintain order. This array not only refuses entry to superhumans, but also filters out many paranormal phenomena within the city. Otherwise, with the population density of Eswell, one urban legend a day would be considered a small number."

Quinn recalled that there were indeed very few and simple bounty quests in the Adventurers' Guild that might be related to mysterious events; most of them were obviously normal events that had been spread through misinformation after some kind of coincidence.

"This is certainly a good thing. We clergy are happy to have some free time. We don't even need the church to help deal with arcane crimes. But if you want to get promoted and get closer to God, you'll have to wait a long time if you stay in Eswell."

Quinn looked at the priest who was enjoying life. He had gone through so many detours just to buy a Phile rye bread. The shop didn't even have a sign. The owner was a fat, stout old man from the north who seemed to know Xisa well. The two were praying together, clearly also believers in the Return to the Tree.

Only after he left with the large loaf of bread did Quinn, who was following behind, ask, "You want to be promoted? To become an archbishop?"

"I?"

Sissa smiled. "Of course not. Rather, it's that they stay here because they don't want to be promoted. But Misha is different. The merit of eliminating the Abyss Transcendents alongside other cults isn't enough; it must be a merit of independently leading a church for her to be promoted."

Quinn recalled the red-haired girl in the executive jacket who was still helping believers with their work in the sun until the two left the church.

"Is that clerk such a pragmatic person?" "Since the Misty Sea was sealed off, Misha hasn't been home for almost thirteen years." Xisa pressed the shutter and photographed an old orc carrying a coal mine. She was looking up blankly at a sliver of sunlight, her gray face clearly indicating that she didn't have much time left.

“Misha is an orphan. After the war in the Western Continent started, the Empire had many more orphans. Her adoptive grandmother was also this age. I never met her grandmother, but I saw her secretly crying in bed at night. Not long after the sanatorium in the Empire sent a notification letter, the ocean was blocked.”

"Even those with high-ranking abilities cannot be certain of navigating that dense fog. The resources required to activate the spatial teleportation array between the North and South continents are astronomical. The church's personnel quota is very tight, and returning home for promotion and reporting for duty is her only way back to the North Continent."

After hearing these words, Quinn's eyes showed some complexity.

As someone who was also raised by his grandmother, he understands very well that even if you are prepared for the death of a loved one, some things are still hard to face.

He stopped questioning the man's shameless behavior and instead asked with a slight amusement, "Have you ever seen her sleeping? The Guishu Divine Cult actually allows its clergy to freely engage in romantic relationships?"

In any religion, love between a young priest and a young nun is a major taboo; those who serve God must maintain purity of both body and spirit.

When faced with such a slightly ambiguous question, most people would either remain indifferent, admit it, or rush to clarify the misunderstanding. But Sissa maintained her calm and composed expression, replying, "Of course not. But if you want to talk, I won't stop you. Misha always monopolizes my prostitute fees, so I have to sneak into her room at night to steal them back. Therefore, I sometimes witness some private moments, and I ask that you not spread them around."

Quinn was in a difficult position.

Please refrain from speaking in a strange tone, as if saying, "I asked Buddha for permission, and Buddha said it was okay."

"Where are you going?" Quinn followed him, still circling around the city of Seville.

The bells of the Eternal Church echoed through the streets and alleys, the five deep rings signifying that it was five o'clock in the afternoon. But because it was summer, the sun's path was further inland, so the sky was still bright and clear, with golden planets occupying a fifth of the sky, gradually moving further and further west.

“Our investigation wasn’t entirely fruitless.” Sissa went into a stationery store and bought some notebooks—most of which were used, taken from the trash cans of wealthy families in East Wales. The children of the rich didn’t cherish paper, so there were still many usable blank spaces left.

The more writing space a book has, the more expensive it is. Sissa bought a whole bundle, spending three silver coins.

"In addition to finding Mr. Q, there were also some records of goods and bribes. Some of them pointed to the jewelry store case in March of this year."

Quinn's eyes suddenly sharpened. This was the mystery that had been troubling him all along. When he first arrived, why did Mr. Q make arrangements in advance to have Jack frame him, someone he had never met before?
“We used some methods.” Sissa drew a line on his chest and prayed, “God said, when facing wicked people, if they are in the toilet, drown them in the toilet bowl; if they are…”

"Stop talking nonsense." Quinn thought the doctrines of the Tree of Life Church were all a jumbled mess. "Get to the point."

"I had someone follow Golden Wind for a while. That godfather was very careful, but he still slipped up a bit. After all, their gang is all black, and black people going to Eastville on business are easily recognizable. They deliberately disrupted the timing and order, trying to cover it up with legitimate business, but it didn't work. We discovered that Golden Wind sends things to important figures in the city every now and then."

Quinn couldn't help but feel sorry for Ike.

No matter how meticulously planned or cunning the schemes, they will ultimately prove ineffective against extraordinary individuals.

Looking back now, I realize that I was able to fool that priest from the Vatican back then, mainly due to good luck, aside from Ankuya's intervention.

It was so good that even he himself suspected something was amiss.

“We started surveillance more frequently, and unexpectedly we uncovered an Abyss Transcendent. Isn’t that a coincidence? Just like when I was watching Ike today, I ran into you.”

Sissa stopped in her tracks.

What appeared before the two of them was a small building built on the riverbank.

In Seawell, it's rare to see a three-story building made entirely of brick. The front is covered with mosaic tiles with a distinct Southeast Asian flair. The other side of the building is adjacent to the river. Green plants are planted on the balconies upstairs and downstairs, and the aroma of oil and bread wafts from the chimney.

Quinn's eyelids twitched as he looked at the sign that read "Caesar's Baths".

He had lived in Westville before, so he naturally knew what this impressive little building was.

"Hey--"

Before he could finish speaking, Sissa had already pushed the door open and entered.

Quinn had no choice but to follow.

The brothel wasn't open yet. Inside, the lights were dim, and only a middle-aged madam, still quite attractive, was putting on makeup in front of the mirror. She had just started to greet him in a sweet voice when she saw the familiar black-robed priest, and her voice immediately dropped.

"Sisa, where's the money? We've been asking for it so many times. If you don't pay soon, the girls will have to cover it—"

Sissa slammed ten heavy gold pounds on the table, startling the madam. "Which of East Wales's top songstresses have you tricked into leaving the profession this time?"

He carried a bag of large loaves of rye bread and a stack of notebooks onto the table.

Sissa smiled slightly, "This is a gift from God."

Quinn watched with amusement. It was indeed a gift from God. If Amamiya Nene knew that the donations she stuffed into the box had turned into prostitution fees, her expression would be priceless.

The madam's expression changed as she looked at Quinn. Sissa nodded to indicate he was one of their own, then whispered, "How much longer will your troublemaker be kept here? The Golden Wind has been incredibly powerful lately; they even wiped out the Razorfen Downs. If they find out about this place, we're finished."

"Resolve it today."

After speaking briefly, Sissa beckoned Quinn to come inside.

The two descended into the cellar, where it was pitch black without any lights. This darkness posed no obstacle for Quinn, while Sissa navigated the brothel with ease, clearly a regular customer.

He pushed open the locked cellar door and said with a smile, "Hunter, have you remembered what you should say?"

Quinn's eyes narrowed as he looked behind him.

Hunter
The one who ran away with the goods, the one that Golden Wind couldn't catch after half a month of searching?
(End of this chapter)